Field Epidemiology Training Programs to accelerate public health workforce development and global health security

In 1980, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Thailand Ministry of Public Health to launch the first Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) outside North America in Thailand (TEPHINET, 2020; CDC, 2020). Many countries have since developed national FETPs with support from WHO, CDC, and other partners; regional initiatives and networks have adapted the original approach and focused on epidemiological health workforce capacity building within their regions.